Whether you’ve got a coronavirus cash-flow problem, you’re working on a tight budget or just like to get your training for free, improving your SEO skills doesn’t have to break the bank. If you are looking for Free SEO Training Courses then you have come to the right place.
With decades of experience in the realm of SEO and digital marketing, the RAD team have put our heads together to list the best free online SEO courses to help you keep your online presence growing, even when your cash flow feels like it is shrinking.
Yoast Training
Yoast is the plugin you may already using if you’ve got a WordPress website. But wouldn’t it be good to know exactly how that traffic light system works?
If you just want the basic understanding of SEO, Yoast’s free online course is a quick and easy learning experience that will give you what you want in an instant.
With a total of 12 hours of education, including 2 hours of instructional videos, and quizzes to test your knowledge, this short-course is designed to get you up and running with your SEO needs quickly.
Unfortunately, compared to some of the other free SEO courses, it’s not quite as in-depth, so you do get what you pay for with this free course, but it still covers some hot topics including content and technical SEO.
Pros
- Little time investment required
- PDF files so you have references once you’ve completed the course
- Engaging video explainers
Cons
- Not as in-depth as other courses
- Doesn’t cover all aspects of SEO
- Doesn’t tell you exactly how to action an SEO campaign
Hubspot Academy
HubSpot has a resource hub that is like every marketer’s library, which means their free SEO course from their Hubspot Academy comes highly recommended.
If you haven’t already made HubSpot your ‘go-to’ space for blogs and eBooks, then we highly recommend you also take advantage of their easy to read and easy to implement resources. There’s everything available from creating a content strategy to profiling your ideal audience.
In regards to the course, you’ll only spend 1 hour and 35 minutes learning SEO, but this is condensed into six bite-sized lessons for the ultimate beginner.
For those who love learning by video, you’ll also find this free SEO course a breeze, as there are 15 videos in total to help you absorb as much of that juicy knowledge as possible.
Pros
- Short-course which takes little time
- Provides details on other resources that may be useful including books etc.
- Video transcripts are provided
Cons
- Heavy on SEO content but not so much on technical SEO
- No certificate provided for this course
- Doesn’t go into a deeper knowledge of Google algorithms
ClickMinded
What we like most about ClickMinded’s free SEO course is that it helps you get straight on with the most important role of SEO, getting more traffic to your website.
Many big brands rave about ClickMinded and their courses, and this free course is ideal for anyone wishing to gain as much knowledge as possible about SEO in a realistic time-frame.
A pretty exciting nod to this course is the fact your trainer is none other than Tommy Griffith, former SEO manager of Paypal and Airbnb. So it’s safe to say you’re in very experienced and knowledgeable hands during this online course.
When you sign up to the mini SEO course, you will need to complete it in 7 days, otherwise, you will lose access and have to sign-up for paid access.
The biggest selling point on this course is that Tommy gives away his SEO secrets and the method he used to help Paypal and Airbnb rank.
Pros
- Experienced trainer
- Slides can be downloaded
- An SEO framework is provided
Cons
- No certification
- You need to complete it in 7 days
SEMRush Academy
You know SEMrush takes their online SEO course seriously when it comes with an exam! The course is free but only to users registered and using the SEMrush toolkit don’t let that put you off.
Unlike many of the free SEO courses out there right now, SEMrush does an incredible job at getting deep into some of the more technical elements that people are often afraid to touch. Such as link analysis and duplicate content.
The course is run by Greg Gifford, an old-timer in the world of SEO with 17 years of experience.
In terms of the time commitment, the SEO Fundamental Course has a total of 31 lessons, but overall there are only 4 hours of learning time, which means you can really take your time with this and learn at your own pace.
Plus the juicy extra included in this course is that you get a certificate.
Pros
- Transcripts available for every video
- Short tests after every topic
- Goes into more technical SEO
- Certificate provided on completion
Cons
- Designed for ultimate beginners
- Does not provide a framework
- You need to register for an SEMrush account
eMarketing Institute
When there are so many elements to consider with SEO, it’s hard to find a course that goes as broad as the free course provided by the eMarketing Institute.
While they may not hold a big reputation in the SEO world like Moz or SEMrush, what they lack in celebrity status they make up for with ample amounts of knowledge. In fact, some have even dubbed this free SEO course as the most comprehensive.
The only downside is that it will take your will power to stick with the course, as it is in the form of an eBook with no videos. So for those of you who get bored easily with self-learning, you may struggle.
But again, the eMarketing Institute do well at covering both technical and non-technical aspects of SEO, providing you with the full spectrum of SEO requirements.
Once you’ve completed the eBook, there is then an online assessment to take to see just how well you did, which may hopefully encourage you to have the patience to stick with it.
Pros
- Covers all aspects of SEO
- Simplified language is used to explain technical jargon
- Certificate is provided on successful assessment completion
Cons
- No videos or other media to support learning
- Doesn’t cover any recent Google updates
Coursera
Coursera is a well-known online training provider that hosts free digital marketing courses.
Every free course is put together and partnered with an educational institution such as a university or college.
Coursera provides a free SEO course under the University of California.
The Search Engine Optimization Specialization course is free but does take five months to complete with 7 hours of training required per week.
Unlike other free courses, this is both time-heavy and does not quite have the same robust insight as from the big SEO brands who do this every day.
As a beginners level course, it does start at the very basics of what SEO is, and why it’s important, which means it could take a few lessons until you’re truly actioning SEO yourself.
Pros
- Extensive SEO coverage
- Online in a learning environment
- On-hand support from educators
- Certificate provided on completion
Cons
- No case studies or experienced SEO gurus
- Time heavy taking 5 months to complete
Udemy
Udemy is yet another online training course provider that can teach you everything from how to bake, to how to do SEO – all for free!
There are hundreds of courses available on Udemy to learn SEO, but be warned, anyone and everyone can create a class, which ultimately means you could discover some bad SEO advice along the way.
To ensure you choose a reputable course provider, we would recommend you do some research into who is running the course, and that they have experience as well as reviewing their feedback. You wouldn’t want to be learning SEO from any Tom, Dick or Harry.
Some big SEO brands such as Moz have been known to run a course on Udemy, so not all hope is lost for this platform, you just have to do your research but there are lots of free resources to get started.
Pros
- You can learn SEO quickly
- Lots of course providers to choose from
- Many courses are video content focussed
- Courses either free or for a small cost
Cons
- Many of the courses are out of date
- Course providers may not be reputable
- No certification provided
Distilled University
Distilled U is a global marketing agency that has decided to share their knowledge in their own Distilled University.
While this SEO course is free for the first three modules, the rest of the course requires a fee.
Depending on what you need out of your SEO education will depend on whether you find the first three modules of value, as they cover SEO basics, understanding keyword queries, and some technical on-page optimisation.
The online course does have high reviews, so you may find that after the first three modules you may want to invest, but we would recommend trialling the first three sessions to see if it’s for you.
The benefit of using Distilled University is the vast amount of knowledge and experience they have within the realm of SEO, they even put on the very popular Search Love Conference. Unlike platforms such as Udemy and Coursera, much of what Distilled provides is relevant and up to date to the current state of search.
Pros
- Interactive modules
- Video content
- Experienced educators
Cons
- Only first three modules are free
Lynda
Many young digital marketers have started out their careers on Lynda, the digital education platform. It’s certainly not one to ignore in our books!
With a 30 day free trial, you can get access to more than 30 different courses that will teach you everything you need to know about SEO. From link building to keyword research; you name it, Lynda has a course for it.
The beauty of Lynda is that most of the courses are short and can be completed within a week, which means you can get straight on with actioning your education.
Plus if you prefer learning via video, you’ll be pleased to hear there are more than 1300 video tutorials on SEO specifically.
Pros
- Access to hundreds of video tutorials
- Covers every aspect of SEO
- Certificates not provided
Cons
- Some courses are time heavy
- Paid for access after 30 days
Moz Academy
Update: We understand that free enrolment may have closed.
Moz is well-known in the world of SEO, and their Whiteboard Friday’s have a reputation in the industry for providing clear, no-nonsense advice on the biggest SEO trends.
Moz also has the Moz Academy, where they share their knowledge and insight for those who want to keep educated and in-the-know.
While some of Moz’s courses are still paid for, many of them have been dropped to free (at the time of writing this article), as Moz wish to help as many businesses as possible during this turbulent time.
One of the great things about the Moz Academy is you can discover courses for all knowledge levels. So whether you’re completely new to SEO, or have an understanding, you can discover a course that will help you take your knowledge up a level.
Enter “wegothis” into the coupon code area at the checkout to get your free course.
Note that Moz may stop this offer at any time.
The current SEO courses available for free include;
- SEO Fundamentals
- Local SEO Fundamentals
- Keyword Research
- Page Optimization
- Backlink Basics
- Reporting on SEO
- Technical SEO Site Audit
- Backlink Audit & Removal
- The Fundamentals of SEO Client Prospecting
- Finding Potential SEO Clients
- Prepare for the SEO Client Pitch
- Selling the Value of SEO
- Client Onboarding
- How to Use Moz Pro
For those of you new to SEO, we would strongly recommend the SEO Fundamentals Course.
On this specific course you’ll be taken through 18 lessons, and get a strong overview of how search engines work, how to optimise content and learn about Google algorithm updates. Plus for those of you who are completely new to the technical jargon of SEO, you’ll also learn what it all means in more simple terms.
With this Moz course you’ll be taking big strides to becoming a competent SEO consultant in no time!
Pros
- Includes video content to make it easy to absorb
- Step by step instructions to help you take action
- Great for getting to know technical jargon
Cons
- There’s no certificate for attending this course
- No transcript on the videos so you will need to take notes
